The Texas WPI-1 form is the application you submit to the Texas Department of Insurance before beginning new construction, an addition, a major repair, or a re-roof on a structure inside the state’s designated catastrophe area along the Gulf Coast.1Texas Department of Insurance. Windstorm System Information Filing it starts the windstorm inspection process and is the first step toward a WPI-8 Certificate of Compliance, which the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association requires before it will write a policy on the property.2Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. Windstorm Certification The form costs nothing to file. Filing late, or not at all, can leave a finished structure uninsurable.
When You Need to File a WPI-1
The windstorm certification requirement applies to properties inside the designated catastrophe area established under Texas Insurance Code Chapter 2210.3Justia Law. Texas Insurance Code Title 10 Chapter 2210 – Texas Windstorm Insurance Association That area includes 14 first-tier coastal counties — Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, and Willacy — plus 14 second-tier counties farther inland.4Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. TWIA Overview Portions of Harris County also fall within the designated area.5Texas Department of Insurance. Harris County If you’re unsure whether your property sits inside the boundary, call the TDI Windstorm Inspections Program at 800-248-6032, Option 3.
Within that area, a WPI-1 is required for new construction, additions, alterations, significant repairs, and re-roofing projects. The filing must happen before construction begins, not partway through and not after the fact.6Texas Department of Insurance. What Is the Windstorm Inspection Process That timing requirement catches a lot of homeowners who hire a roofer or contractor without realizing the paperwork comes first.
Projects That Don’t Require a WPI-1
Not every repair on a coastal property triggers the inspection process. These projects are exempt from the certificate of compliance requirement:7Texas Department of Insurance. What You Need to Know About Windstorm Inspections
- Roof repairs covering less than 100 square feet that don’t involve replacing decking.
- Non-structural interior work such as painting, carpeting, and cabinet installation.
- Exterior cosmetic items including fences, gutters, decorative shutters, steps, and screen doors.
- Plumbing and electrical repairs.
- Glass replacement in existing windows or doors.
Anything beyond these categories — replacing roof decking, installing new windows or doors, adding square footage, or any structural modification — needs a WPI-1 on file before work starts.
What the Form Asks For
The WPI-1 is available as a downloadable PDF from the TDI website and can also be completed through the online Windstorm System wizard.8Texas Department of Insurance. Application for Certificate of Compliance Form WPI-1 Either way, you fill in the same core information.
Structure Information
Start with the full 9-1-1 street address, including the building number. The form also asks for the tract or addition name, lot number, block number, city, ZIP code, and county. Indicate whether the structure sits inside or outside city limits and whether it falls within a Coastal Barrier Resource Zone. Older applications may reference Inland I, Inland II, or Seaward location designations, but those categories apply only to projects where construction began before September 1, 2020.8Texas Department of Insurance. Application for Certificate of Compliance Form WPI-1
Owner, Builder, and Engineer Details
The next three blocks collect contact information for the property owner, the builder or contractor doing the work, and the engineer who will oversee the inspection. Each block asks for name, phone number, fax number, and mailing address. The engineer section also requires the engineer’s Texas registration number and email address.8Texas Department of Insurance. Application for Certificate of Compliance Form WPI-1 If a TDI inspector rather than a private engineer will handle the inspections, you can leave the engineer block blank and submit the form to your local TDI windstorm field office.
Construction and Inspection Details
Enter the date construction will begin and the date you’re submitting the application. Then select the building type: houses, duplexes, townhouses, condominiums, apartments, metal buildings, commercial structures, detached garages, and others. For condominiums, townhouses, and apartments, also note the number of units.
The “Type of Inspection” field describes the scope of work. Options include entire building, entire re-roof, partial re-roof (specify type and area), re-decking, alteration, repair, mechanical only, foundation only, addition, and retrofit of exterior openings for windborne debris protection. Pick the one that matches your project and be specific. A vague description here can delay processing: “complete re-roof with architectural shingles” works better than “roof work.”8Texas Department of Insurance. Application for Certificate of Compliance Form WPI-1
Submitter Information
At the bottom, identify who is actually submitting the form: you, the builder or contractor, an insurance agent, the engineer, or someone else. Include the submitter’s name, date, and phone number. There’s a comments field for anything that doesn’t fit the checkboxes, like unusual site conditions or phased construction timelines.
How to Submit the Form
You have two submission routes, and which one you use depends on who’s doing the inspection.
- Online through the TDI Windstorm System. The public-facing WPI-1 wizard at appscenter.tdi.texas.gov walks you through the fields. If you file online, you don’t need to mail a paper copy.1Texas Department of Insurance. Windstorm System Information
- By mail or email. For inspections by a private engineer, send the completed PDF to the TDI Windstorm Inspections Program at P.O. Box 12030, Austin, TX 78711-2030, or email it to windstorm@tdi.texas.gov. For inspections handled by a TDI inspector, mail or email the form to your local TDI windstorm field office.8Texas Department of Insurance. Application for Certificate of Compliance Form WPI-1
Submitting successfully through the online system returns an Application ID. Keep that number. You’ll need it every time you email documents to TDI about the project, and it’s how you’ll track the status of your inspection.1Texas Department of Insurance. Windstorm System Information
What Happens After You File
Filing the WPI-1 doesn’t by itself prove your structure meets code. It opens the door for inspections during construction. TDI requires those inspections to happen while work is underway, not before or after, because an inspector needs to see framing, connections, and fasteners before drywall and siding cover them.6Texas Department of Insurance. What Is the Windstorm Inspection Process
If a TDI inspector is handling your project, contact the department each time you’re ready for the next phase to be inspected. TDI inspectors aim to arrive within 48 hours of your requested date, excluding weekends and holidays, though major storms can push that back.6Texas Department of Insurance. What Is the Windstorm Inspection Process If the inspector finds deficiencies, they post a notice at the job site. Fix the problems, then request a re-inspection.
If an appointed Texas-licensed professional engineer is doing the inspections, the engineer submits the required certification forms directly to TDI through the Windstorm System once the work meets code.9Legal Information Institute. 28 Texas Administrative Code 5.4621 – Certification of Ongoing Improvements Inspected by Appointed Qualified Inspectors
When all inspections pass, TDI issues a WPI-8 Certificate of Compliance. The WPI-8 is the document you give TWIA or a private insurer to prove the property meets windstorm building code requirements. A separate form, the WPI-8-E, covers construction that’s already finished. Only a Texas-licensed professional engineer, not a TDI field inspector, can perform that post-construction inspection, and it typically costs more because verifying code compliance after everything is sealed up is harder.7Texas Department of Insurance. What You Need to Know About Windstorm Inspections It’s the fallback for property owners who built without filing a WPI-1 first.
You can search for and print existing WPI-8 and WPI-8-E certificates through the TDI Windstorm System without logging in.1Texas Department of Insurance. Windstorm System Information Keep a copy with your property records for insurance renewals and any future sale.
What Happens If You Skip It
The biggest consequence of not filing a WPI-1 is losing access to windstorm insurance through TWIA. Without a Certificate of Compliance, TWIA considers a property uninsurable and ineligible for coverage.2Texas Windstorm Insurance Association. Windstorm Certification For coastal Texas property owners who can’t find windstorm coverage in the private market, TWIA is often the only option, which makes an uncertified structure effectively an uninsurable one. Filing the WPI-1 before work begins is the straightforward way to avoid that outcome.